Coin switch controlled ticket dispenser



March 12, 1968 N. 1.. BEI ET AL COIN SWITCH CONTROLLED TICKET DISPENSER2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 10, 1966 INVENTORS N. L. Bel T. J. Scorr 49M#J/m ATTYS.

March 12, 1968 N. I.. BE! ET AL COIN SWITCH CONTROLLED TICKET DISPENSER2 Sheets-Sheet 2-;

Filed Oct. 10, 1966 United States Patent 3,372,785 C(llN SWTTCHCONTROLLED TICKET DlSPlENSER Norman L. Bei, 156 I-lagemann Ave., SantaCruz, Calif.

95060, and T. J. Scott, 537 Cathedral Drive, Aptos,

Calif. 95903 Filed Oct. Ill, 1966, Ser. No. 585,378

8 Claims. (Cl. 194-10) ABSTRACT OF THE DTSCLQSURE A ticket dispenserembodying a magazine for a stack of tickets, and a manually operatedslide arranged to dispense the tickets one at a time from the bottom ofthe stack; a coin-controlled electrical device being employed to resetsuch slide.

The ticket dispenser of the present invention is especially designed,but not limited, for use to dispense prize or bonus tickets, .01"tickets which-in the form of a folder-contain merchandise redemptionstamps or the like.

It is the major object of this invention to provide a ticket dispenserwhich is manually operated to dispense .a single ticket at a time, andelectrically reset in response to a coin-controlled switch. Thearrangement is such that once a ticket has been dispensed, no otherticket can be subsequently dispensed until a deposited coin closes theswitch; the latter in turn closing a circuit which energizes an electricmechanism incorporated in and which resets the dispenser.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ticket dispenser, asabove, which is particularly useful in connection with coin-controlledutility apparatus such as a washing machine in a laundromat. Thedispenser is attached to or mounted adjacent such apparatus, and thecircuit of the dispenser is wired to include the coin-controlled switchof said apparatus. Thus, when a patron uses the coin-controlledapparatus and its switch is closed by a coin, the dispenserautomatically resets and the patron can actuate the latter to obtain asingle ticket; the dispenser then being in a condition such that anotherticket cannot be dispensed until the coin-controlled apparatus is againused.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ticket dispenser whichis designed for ease and economy of ianufacture, ready installation, andconvenience of use.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a practical,reliable, and durable ticket dispenser and one which is exceedinglyeffective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the ticket dispenser showing the positionof the parts when a ticket is being dispensed; the casing and the baseof the dispenser being in section.

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevation of the ticket dispenser as set foruse and with the dispensing slide retracted; the casing being insection.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the ticket dispenser set as in FIG. 2; thecasing being in section.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the dispensing slide, detached.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters ofreference marked thereon, the ticket Patented Mar. 12, 1968 dispensercomprises a hollow rectangular base 1 to the front end of which a rigidfull-width upstanding rectangular wall 2 is secured. An upstandingrectangular magazine 3 for a stack of tickets T is secured against theback side of the front Wall 2 intermediate its side edges. The magazine,at its lower end, is also secured to the flat floor of the base butasshown-0nly at the sides and in a manner to leave a space 4 between thefloor and the lower edge of both the front and back walls of themagazine. The forward space 4 is of a height to receive only a singleticket T therethrough; the rear space 4 being of the same height. Thefront wall 2 is provided with a ticket-passing slot 5 in alinement withthe forward magazine space 4.

The top of the magazine is open for the placing of tickets therein, anda weight 6-removable from the upper end of the magazineis disposedtherein and bears on the top of the stack of tickets.

The lowermost ticket T of the stack (which ticket rests on the floor ofthe base 1 and is thus horizontally alined with the spaces 4 and theslot 5) is adapted to be dispensed from the magazine 3 and fed forwardlythrough the slot 5 by the following means:

Longitudinally slidably supported on the floor of the base 1 (to therear of magazine 3 but movable forwardly to project in part beneath saidmagazine) is a rigid elongated strip or ticket-dispensing slide 7.. Theslide 7, which is narrower than the width of the magazine 3 and thetickets T therein and has a thickness no greater than that of any suchticket, is dis-posed in a position centrally of the width of saidmagazine, and is guided in its longitudinal movement by means of sideplates ii fixed on the base 1 and leaving a groove 9 therebetween forthe slide.

Mounted on the plates 3 (which may be considered as being part of thebase 1) intermediate the ends of the slide 7 and in straddling relationthereto and to the groove 9, is a solenoid ill. The circuit wires 11 forsuch solenoid 10 extend from one side thereof through the adjacent plate8 and the floor of the base into the space below, as shown in FIG. 1.From this point, the circuit wires 11 extend from the dispenser to anormally open switch 12. The switch 12 may be the one included incoin-controlled utility apparatus to which the ticket dispenser isattached.

The solenoid 10 includes a plunger 13 which projects forwardly somedistance from said solenoid when it is de-energized, as shown in FIG. 1.At its forward end, the plunger 13 is formed with a vertical slot l lthrough which a rigid arm 15 projects; said arm being fixed on andupstanding from the slide 7 a substantial distance from the forward endthereof.

At its rear end, the slide 7 is formed with a rigid upstanding arm 16spaced behind the solenoid, and at its upper end said arm 16 is providedwith a lateral extension 17.

A horizontal longitudinal pull rod 18 slidably projects through anopening 19' in said extension (see FIG. 4); the rod having an enlargedhead 20 thereon rearwardly of the extension. From said extension 17, therod 18 projects forwardly and through the front wall 2 to a terminationin a pull knob 21; the shank 22 of which abuts against the outer face ofsaid front wall when the rod 13 is fully retracted-a position normallyassumed by reason of a compression spring 23 about the rod 18 betweenthe rear face of wall 2 and a stop 24 on the rod.

When slide 7 and rod 18 are fully retracted, the extension 17 abutsagainst the rod head 20. The forward end of the ticket-dispensing slide7 is then disposed a slight distance back from the magazine 3, asclearly shown in FIG. 3.

Operation With the ticket-dispensing slide 7 and pull rod 18 in theirretracted positions as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and with the Solenoidde-energized, a pull on the knob 21 to advance the rod 18 will alsoadvance the dispensing slide '7. When this occurs, the forward portionof the slide moves through the rear space 4 and engages the lowermostticket T and shoves the same out of the magazine and partially throughthe slot 5 as shown in FlG. 1. This enables said ticket to be manuallygrasped and fully withdrawn from the dispenser by the patron. Forwardmovement of the ticket dispensing slide 7 is limited by engagement ofthe arm 16 with the rear end of the solenoid as shown in FIG. 1.

After a ticket is dispensed, as above, and upon the knOb 21 beingreleased, the spring 23 functions to retract the pull rod 18, but theslide 7 does not retract and remains in its advanced position; this forthe reason that said rod 18 moves freely in a rearward direction throughopening 19 in lateral extension 1'7. Thus, until the dispenser is reset,any additional advancing movement of the rod 18 will not affect theposition of the slide 7 one Way or the other and no ticket will bedispensed.

The only way in which the dispenser can be reset with the slide 7retracted-is by closing of the switch 12 in response to deposit of acoin. This causes the solenoid to be energized which in turn retractsthe plunger 13 and the plunger-engaged arm 15 of slide 7. When thisoccurs, the slide 7 is shifted rearward and pulled out from under themagazine and until the lateral extension 17 abuts against the rod head2%. Such retractive movement of the slide 7 resets the dispenser andallows another ticket T to move down (under the influence of weight 6)onto the floor of the base 1 in position to be dispensed. As thesolenoid 10 remains energized for a very short time (the coin-controlledswitch conventionally closing and then opening rapidly), the solenoidplunger 13 does not resist forward movement of slide 7 during aticket-dispensing operation.

The tickets T must, of course, be stiff and relatively thick so thatonly one ticket at a time will be engaged by the dispensing slide 7. Ifthe dispenser is used with thin stamps such as merchandise redemptionstamps, they are encased in folder type covers or tickets of a totalthickness sufficient to insure proper dispensing thereof.

The ticket dispenser, as hereinbefore described, is removably enclosedin a rigid, rectangular casing 2 5 initially open at the front and onthe bottom of which casing the base 1 is slidably supported. The rearend of the casing comprises a rigid wall 26, while the front of thecasing is initially open but is normally closed by the wall 2 which, inits fully seated position in the casing, abuts against stop flanges 27projecting inwardly from the side walls of said casing.

Unauthorized removal of the ticket dispenser from the casing 25 isprevented by means of the following:

A rigid lip 28 is mounted on and upstands from one of the plates 8 nearthe wall 26, and which lip is engaged on its forward face by a lockingdog which projects downwardly and radially from the turnable barrel of akey-controlled cylinder-type lock 30 mounted on the wall 26 above thelip 28. Release of the locking dog 29 from the lip 28, by key-rotationof the lock barrel, enables the dispenser to be drawn out from itscasing; the slack in the circuit wires 11 between the solenoid It) andthe switch 12 being sufficient to permit said dispenser to be withdrawna sufficient distance to dispose the magazine 3 clear of the casing 25,as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2, for ready and convenientrefilling of said magazine with tickets.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a ticket dispenser as 4 substantially fulfills theobjects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the ticket dispenser, still in practice such deviationsfrom such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from thespirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. A ticket dispenser comprising a base, a magazine upstanding from thebase to hold a stack of tickets, the magazine having horizontally alinedopenings at the front and rear at the bottom, the front opening being ofa size to receive the bottom ticket of the stack therethrough, a rigidslide mounted on the base rearwardly of the magazine for longitudinalreciprocating movement, the slide being positioned and of a size at itsforward end to enter the rear opening of the magazine so as to engageand push the bottom ticket of the stack through the front opening uponadvance of the slide from a predetermined retracted position, a manualpull element operatively connected to said Slide to so advance butincapable of retracting the same, and a normally de-energized electricaldevice mounted on the base and including means operatively connected tothe slide to move the same to said retracted position when the device isenergized.

2. A dispenser, as in claim 1, in which said electrical device, Whende-energized, permits of free advance of the slide.

3. A dispenser, as in claim 1, with a circuit for said electricaldevice, and a normally open coin-controlled switch in the circuit.

4. A dispenser, as in claim 1, in which the electrical device is asolenoid which includes a plunger projecting forwardly therefrom whensaid solenoid is de-energized, and said means comprises an arm rigidwith the slide rearwardly of the magazine-entering portion thereof; saidarm being operatively connected to the plunger adjacent the forward endthereof.

5. A ticket dispenser comprising a rigid rectangular base, a rigid frontwall upstanding from the forward end of the base, a magazine upstandingfrom the base immediately to the rear of the wall and disposedintermediate the sides of the base, said magazine being adapted to holda stack of tickets and having horizontally alined openings at the frontand rear thereof at the base, the front opening being of a size toreceive the bottom ticket of the stack therethrough, the front wallhaving a ticketpassage slot therethrough alined with said front opening,a ticketdispensing slide mounted on the base rearwardly of the magazinefor horizontal reciprocating movement between a retracted and anadvanced position, the slide being of a size and disposed in a positionsuch that the forward end portion of the slide can enter the rearopening of the magazine in alinement and engagement with the bottomticket of the stack upon advance of the slide from a retracted position,a rigid arm upstanding from the rear end of the slide, a lateralextension on the arm at the upper end thereof, said extension having ahole therethrough adjacent its outer end, a spring-retracted pull rodextending between the extension and front wall, the pull rod slidablyprojecting through said hole in the extension and through a hole in saidfront wall, a knob on the rod ahead of the front wall, a head on the rodrearwardly of the extension and adapted to engage the same when the rodand slide are both fully retracted, and a normally de-energizedelectrical device mounted on the base and operatively connected to theslide to move the same from an advanced to a retracted position whensaid device is energized.

6. A dispenser, as in claim 5, in which the electrical device comprisesa solenoid mounted on the base in straddling relation to the slideintermediate the ends thereof, the solenoid including a plungerprojecting from the forward end thereof in overlying relation to theslide when said solenoid is de-energized, and an arm upstanding from theslide rearwardly of the forward end portion thereof and projectingthrough a vertical slot in the forward end portion of the plunger.

7. A dispenser, as in claim 5, With a rectangular casing in which thedispenser is enclosed; said casing being closed at one end and initiallyopen at the other end, and said front wall closing said other end of thecasing.

8. A dispenser, as in claim 7, with a locking unit bet l0 tween thedlspenser and said one end of the casing and key-operable from outwardlyof the latter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Huxford 221-272 X DuGrenier221-92 Neidig 194-58 Cozart 221-129 X De Shon et al. 221-15 Tobias221-114 Holstein et al. 221-13 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

